territorial waters

plural noun

: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters

Examples of territorial waters in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Well outside Cuba’s territorial waters, Cuban MiGs destroyed two of the civilian planes with air-to-air missiles, killing the four occupants, the complaint said. — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

In the latest incidents, fires broke out on two ships struck by drones Wednesday and Thursday, one in Romania's territorial waters. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

The latest attacks mean that at least seven ships have been attacked in the exclusive economic zones of NATO member countries—and even within Romania’s territorial waters if Russian involvement is confirmed in the case of the chemical tankers. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026

Most have returned to Morocco, which Spain’s prime minister accused of entering its territorial waters during the crisis. — semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for territorial waters

• backwaters
• breakwaters
• floodwaters
• granddaughters
• groundwaters
• headwaters
• shearwaters
• wastewaters
• blotters
• daughters
• otters
• plotters

Legal Definition

territorial waters

noun plural

territorial wa·​ters

: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters